Oxford revisited

I'm back home in Oxford for a few days, here to have a routine medical procedure performed (it would have taken a long time to get this done in Spain, so it was easier simply to come back to the UK). I've spent the last couple of days in various cafes in the city centre, getting on with some work while waiting for my appointment tomorrow. It's really lovely to be back and I'm reminded what a stunning city this is. We've been lucky with the weather and in addition to seeing sundogs every day, the sun shining off the ancient stone walls has meant for lovely conditions for walking around the centre.

(sundog this morning from the back garden - again, as I walked around the streets afterwards, keeping an eye on it, nobody else had a clue. I'm always saddened that people just don't look around them at the incredible phenomena right before their eyes):

Today I took a break at lunch and walked into the Natural History Museum, one of my favourite places to get lost for an hour or so, and wondered the isles as fascinated as I was when I first discovered the museum at a very early age. Not only is the exhibition wonderfully timeless, but also the fantastic Victorian architecture makes for one of the my favourite buildings in England. The details in the construction would take a lifetime to discover and I only found out yesterday that every column in the upper level is made of a different stone found in the British isles, every capitol having a unique native plant carved into the detail.

Before being greeted by the dinosaurs, the first thing you see as you walk in is the jaw of a sperm whale, rising up into the vaulted ceiling, calling for a vertical panorama:

Anyway, don't miss this museum if you're coming to Oxford - really a fascinating place.

I may be offline for a day or two from tomorrow morning, but will get back to things when I return to Santiago on Friday